Raven (Orphans 4)

"Hardly," I said. "But I thought you had to do your homework, or are you taking a course in gossip?" I continued down the stairs, my heart pounding. I heard her slam her door closed behind me.

Since the sewing room was so close to the dining room, I could hear Uncle Reuben's

conversation with Aunt Clara while he had his coffee and pie.

"We're not going to go and spend a lot of money on new clothes for her. I want to see if we can get some sort of government help. I think if you take in a kid, they give you some support money."

"She needs things, Reuben," Aunt Clara said softly. "Shouldn't you go back and see what else she has in the apartment?"

"What good would that do? We'd only have to have it deloused."

"You can't just let her wear what she has," Aunt Clara insisted softly.

"Okay, okay, get her a couple of things. But I don't want you spending a lot of money, Clara. We got Jennifer, who needs new things. You see how fast she's growing:"

"Maybe Jennifer will share some of her things with Raven," Aunt Clara said.

He grunted and then added, "If she does, you make sure Raven is clean before she puts anything of Jennifer's on."

"Oh, she's clean, Reuben. She's really a very nice young lady, despite her life with your sister."

"We'll see," he said. I heard him rise. "Make sure she cleans all this up before she goes to sleep. I want her to appreciate what she gets here."

"She does."

He didn't respond. I heard him go back into the living room and turn up the television. Then I went to help Aunt Clara.

"You don't have to do this, Raven," she whispered. "There's not much left. Go do your homework."

"I didn't have that much, Aunt Clara. I have to meet with my teachers for a while after school each day for the next week to catch up. When will we know when Mama can talk to me?" I asked.

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She shook her head. "I don't know, honey. Reuben will find out more tomorrow."

"He should have made more over William's spelling test," I mumbled. "And an eighty isn't such a great grade."

She looked at me with not so much fear in her eyes as cautious agreement. "I know," she said. "I've been after him to spend more time with William."

"I'm not so sure that would help," I muttered, mostly to myself. If she heard, she didn't respond. Then she paused and looked as if she saw a ghost. I turned.

Uncle Reuben was standing in the doorway.

"She should do that herself, Clara. You need to come in and rest," he ordered, his eyes burning through me.

"There's nothing left to do, Reuben."

He continued to stare. Had he heard me?

"All right, Reuben. I'm coming," she said. She wiped her hands on a dish towel and left the kitchen. He let her pass, glanced at me again, and then followed her.

From what I had seen already, I realized Uncle Reuben whipped his family around this house with a look, a word, a gesture. He was the puppet master, and they jumped when he tugged at their strings.

I felt as if he was tying strings around my arms and legs, too, and soon I would be just another puppet.

After finishing my homework, I made my bed and changed into the one nightgown I owned. Lying there and staring out through my one window at the stars that popped in between passing clouds, I thought that somehow I had been turned into Cinderella without the magic slipper or fairy godmother. There would be no magic in my life.

Once, I spent my time dreaming about far-off places, beautiful houses, handsome young men, gala dances, beautiful clothes and jewels. I was in my own movie, spinning out the scenes on the walls of my imagination. It took me out of the small apartment.